Roof



April 8, 1952 H. M. PONT 2,592,465

ROOF

Filed July 8, 1947 IMWM 2w .iwym

H. M. PONT April 8, 1952 ROOF 2 SHEETS-Sl-IEET 2 Filed July 8, 1947 Patented Apr. 8, 1952 ROOF Henri Maclaine Pont, The Hague, Netherlands Application July 8, 1947, Serial No. 759,585 In the Netherlands March 5, 1941 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires March 5, 1961 2 Claims.

The invention relates to a roof, which, as for instance in a saddle roof or like construction, is supported by spaced apart gables and/or roof trusses or, as for instance in a dome-shaped roof or a breach roof, is supported by corner ribs or principal rafters meeting in a top. It has for its object to avoid the usual roofing lath work, series of boom members, layers of joists, partitions or boarding and like rigid, heavy, many abutments requiring constructions for the support of the roof covering, such as tiles, slates, roofing sheet iron, reinforced roofing leather and like covering means, and to replace them by a very light and strong construction, which is particularly appropriate for large spans and can be made in a simple and cheap way without or nearly without the aid of standing or hanging scaffolding means.

According to the invention this object is attained by a construction, which substantially consists of a network of Wires, tapes or cables stretched between the rigid supporting members referred to, such as gables, roof trusses, corner ribs and rafters or rafter principals, the ridge, if present, and the roof caves, and of a normal roof covering directly supported by said network. Such a network is not, as the roofing frame in rigid constructions is, subjected to bending stresses but is only subjected to the action of tensile forces, since it is composed of almost completely flexible members. Therefore it can be loaded much heavier, that means, it can be used for much larger spans.

Preferably the network consists of purlin-wires and rafter-wires, said wires being interconnected at their crossings so as to protect them from mutual displacement. A practical connection is obtained, when, at their crossings, the purlinwires and the rafter-wires engage each other with U-shaped bends, and an annular member, for instance a helicoidally wound wire, is mounted round each of said crossings. This manner of interconnecting the wires of the network makes it possible to weave the nework one wire after the other between the rigid or semi-rigid supporting members after the erection of the latter. To that end wires are used, in which, at predetermined distances corresponding to the dimensions of the roof covering parts, said U-shaped bends are made beforehand by hand or a rolling operation. Weaving the network one wire after the other in the roofing planes themselves has the advantage that no large ground area for the prefabrication of the networks is required, which often are very large, further that heavy networks 2 need not be hoisted, the tightening of the networks is much easier and deformation of the networks by tensioning it in an oblique direction can be avoided in an easier way.

The mounting of the rings at the crossings can be facilitated with the aid of a so-called tightener, by means of which the crossing wires can be spaced apart at each crossing as far as is allowed by the bends. At the same time the wires of the network can be tightened by said tightener.

In order to reinforcethe network wires may be provided, which according to the invention lie in the plane of the network but on the lower surface thereof, extend in an oblique direction with respect to the purlin-wires and the rafterwires, and prevent the construction, when intended for a dome-shaped roof or a broachroof, from torsion.

For the elucidation of the invention reference is had to the drawing, which illustrates by way of example an embodiment of the invention in diagram; in the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of a part of a domeshaped roof of large span during the construction thereof,

Fig. 2 is, in diagram, a sectional view on line IIII of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is, on an enlarged scale, a part of a network, in which a tightener is placed, and

Fig. 4 is a crossing or point of junction of the network according to Fig. 3 together with a tightener of other construction.

In Figs. 1 and 2 numeral l designates corner ribs or rafters or rafter principals placed in a hexagon and meeting in a top 2. These principals span a certain space to be roofed and rest on supporting posts 3, which slant to the outside. Near their bearing surfaces the rafter principals I are interconnected by eaves-cables 4. Networks of iron or steel wire are stretched between said principals I and the eaves-cables 4. These networks consist of rafter-wires 5 extending in the roofing plane from the eavescable upwards and of purlin-wires 6, which follow the horizontal line of tension, while retaining the natural sag. The rafter-wires 5 and the purlin-wires 6 may, as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, be provided with U-shaped bends I and 8 at uniform distances and engage each other with said bends at their crossings or intersecting points, so that they are prevented from displacement with respect to one another at the crossings. In order that the wires remain in engagement with one another at their crossings after the provision of the roof covering, a ring *9 is provided round the bends engaging each other, said ring being, in the manner of a key-ring, constituted of a helicoidally wound wire. In order that the ring can be easily mounted and the network can be tightened a tightener is used, which consists of a 'U shaped rod l0 "and an individual bar II, on which the bent rod It comes to rest after being thrust with both legs under one of the wires at the crossing. In Fig. 4 the tightener is formed as a fork I2 having a bar l3 hinged thereto. The tightener "according to Fig. 4 is suitable for heavier work, for instance for networks of steel wire and for very'lar'ge spans. g I

The network can be completelyprefabricated and then be stretched between the'ed'ges'of the roofing planes. It has been found that it is simpler and gives better results, when the network is woven one \wir e-after the other in the roofing plane. Inthat case, the U -shapd bends preferably are-made inth'e wires beforehand. In order to obtain ataut and uniform network the following method 'maybe carried out;

After the erectionof therafter principals I and the provision 'of the eaves-cables 4 'first the middlemost rafter-wires are stretched from the top 2 to the 'middle of the eaves-cables 4. -By means of their U -shaped bndsth'seraften wires indicate the places in which the purlinwires must be provided. These main rafter-wires serve, as itwere, as ordinate 0f the network. Thereupon thel-firstpurlin-wire is stretched near each eaves-cables 4, said wire acting by its U- shaped bends as abcis'sa. Then, :gui'ding'raiterwires maybeattached to the'aves cables atdistances ofone q uarter, one eighth, 'on'e'sixteenth, etc. of said cables and with their upper ends provisionally but firmly secured tothe rafter principals (the-ridge line o'rthe ridge beam).

These guiding rafter-wires are interconnected by a loose purlin-wire at their upper'ends. By that fact the eaves-cable is pulled up man inclined direction and soon assumes almost, although in the shape of a polygon, "the definite curve. Thereupon, starting from below, the purlin-wires and, at' the ends of these --wires, :that means in the corners betweenthe rafter principals and the eaves-cables, and alsoo'n both sides of the guiding rafter-wires, the rafterwires may be provided over areas, which are withineasy'reach of the workment standing on the eaves-cable. While working the workmen may comeupto each'ther.

'After'the bends "or the "rafter wires andthe pifr1ih WireS have been "'intefcemiec'td at'whe M s s ifig'd thereof and the c'fi'i lctibhs'liavb'en iiiied'by the mentioned rings; inf'sai'd earners and ion lbothsides 'of the 'giiidingrafter-wires a netweek is "obtained over an area within reach,

"which" can be safely climbed "and from "which 'further'parts of the "network can "be completed. I p In that'c'a'sethework isjdone uniformly from bottom to top-without the aid of anyfiscaflfolding 'fmeans. jItwill be'obvious'th'atall roofingplanes must be treatedsimultaneously and at the same pace. Thepur'lin wiresand the rafter-wires are definitely secured-tothe rafterprinc'ipals (or-the ridge as the network 'ge'ts f completed from bot- *tom to top over the entire breadth.

setcued "'below the networ ror dome sha'ped ridge-lineand the eaves-cables and the purlinwires are stretched between the edges of the gables or between roof trusses.

1.'In a roof of large span comprising, in com- -bination, abutment structures disposed at the corners of the space to be roofed, curved rafters mounted on one of their ends on the abutment structures and having theiropposing ends incline'd upwardly and connected together, the

"rafters having theirconcave sides facing inwardly, eaves-cables provided aroundthe roof space and connected-to the abutment structures, networks mounted on the'raftersand including crossed wires having interengaging Ushaped bends formed at their crossedpoints, an annular member formed by-a helically-wound wire'provided around each ofthe'interen'gag'ing bends, said networks being disposed in the -roofing plane's between the raftersandthe eaves-cables and keeping the latter bent upw-ards, said roof ing networks being adapted to dir'ctly support a roof covering, said rafters, 'said eaves-cables and'said roofing networks defininga balanced umbrella structure.

2. In a large span roof having abutmentstructures at the corners of the space, '-to' be roofed,

arcuate rafters mounted atone end on the' abutment'structures, said rafters being disposed in an inclined plane and joined together at their other ends -to define the top of "the roofgsaid rafters being disposed withtheir convex sides disposed upwardly and e'aves eabls eo'rinecti'ng the lower' ends of the 'raf ters-an'd provided around the roofed space,; the improvementwhich consists' of '-networks mounted on the 'rafters"and comprising crossed wires having mati'n'g -U- j shapedbends armed at their emssin s, and a lockingmember-connecting the matiiig be'nds together, said networks being'providd ih' the- 'roofing planes between the rafters and Said 'e'aVeS- cables and retaining the eaves-cables be'rit upvvardly and the-networks being adapted to sup- -port-"a-roof covering.

HENRI MACLAINE Po'NT.

REFERENCES CITED The 5 following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name Date 7 1,990,333 Nemec Feb. 12, 1935 2,103,859 'MacFauen Dec.-'-28, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 

